Kilde and Jansrud (NOR) press conference

Comments from Alpine skiers Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR) and Kjetil Jansrud (NOR) at a press conference at Yanqing Olympic Village on Thursday 3rd of February 2022.

Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR)

On his impressions of the downhill course after his first training session:
"New venue, new course, new snow and also new challenges. It was really hard to imagine how it was going to be, like always when you get a brand new downhill.

"For me it was more narrow than I thought it would be, not those really big turns we're used to in the world cup and also earlier Olympic venues, which makes it a little bit different flow than we're used to.

"I really enjoyed skiing today. The snow here is fantastic, you can do whatever you want to do. You can just ski clean.

"It's a downhill with good flow and jumps and what we like. The overall picture of it is cool, different but fun to ski."

On how he will spend Valentine's Day given his relationship with USA alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin:
"I haven't thought about that. It's going to be with my roommate I guess, stay in the bubble.

"It's the 14th, right? I don't know if I'm even going to be here, but if I am, of course, we'll see. Nothing special. Well, maybe a little bit."

Kjetil Jansrud (NOR)

On how Beijing 2022 can help grow the sport internationally:
"Looking at it from the athlete's perspective and the love of skiing, I think having built such a fantastic venue and with now opportunities for skiing to continue here for many years, it's a great thing.

"Usually when we travel around now with the sport, it's usually on the old hills that has histories, if not to say hundreds of years back. If Alpine skiing is going to survive and get its spot in Asia as well, this is a venue that really speaks for that future. It's amazing."

On the snow:
"If you ask an athlete, these are the perfect conditions, right? Because you have almost no snow to destroy the perfect man-made snow that we like and you get perfect(ly) groomed pistes.

"Where can you go to get -15 (degrees celsius) and sun and no snow coming for a week?"

On his physical condition after suffering what was thought to be a season-ending knee injury in December 2021:
"I'm glad now that I started doing physical training to prepare for what was supposed to be surgery mid-January pretty early after the injury, which then made it easier for me that when we saw the MCL (medial collateral ligament) heal that I was all in a good way taking care of my physical shape.

"Physical shape is fine, skiing shape is as good as it can get with the amounts of training and races I've had. I'm eager to try to prove myself as much as I can and we'll just have to see at the end of the downhill and the super-G how it turned out, but the chances are there."

On his expectations for Beijing 2022:
"I expect passion and commitment and aggressivity when I'm skiing.

"I expect from all of this team that we're flying the Norwegian colours and that also speaks for something. That's why we're here at the Olympics, not just to represent ourselves and to be individuals but also representing our country.

"That's the base of the energy we put into this right now. Where that takes us, we'll see, but we have a proud history in Alpine skiing for the Olympic Games and that's where we have to deliver."

Article courtesy of Olympic Information Service